The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the United States could experience a new wave of mpox infections after cases have started to rise in Chicago, according to an article published in the Los Angeles Times. Public health officials in several U.S. cities recommended that individuals who are most at risk of infection—especially men who have sex with men and transgender individuals—get vaccinated as soon as possible. They also stressed that because the mpox outbreak has mostly affected the LGBTQ+ community, events scheduled for Pride Month in June could allow the mpox infection to spread more easily to a larger number of individuals. The global health emergency for mpox was recently declared over on May 11 after cases sharply declined, but consequentially, vaccinations have also seen a decline. The Biden administration, which has previously been credited with its rapid response to the initial mpox outbreak in 2022, has announced that it will provide the resources necessary to local health departments in an effort to get ahead of the impending wave of infections. Public health officials cited numerous challenges that allowed mpox infections to spread early on—such as testing constraints, vaccine procurement, and messaging—but also expressed confidence in the LGBTQ+ community, which has already demonstrated its ability to comply with health recommendations, modify behaviors, and get vaccinated to limit the spread. “The legacy of [the human immunodeficiency virus], I think, informed a lot of the way in which the community rallied not just for acceptance of interventions like vaccines or seeking help, but into activism,” concluded Peter Chin-Hong, MD, Professor of Medicine and an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.
May 25, 2023